Poll

Business

Within a year, this town has gone from one tap house to four, two of which brew their own beer. That’s a lot of craft beer.

While some might say it could be too much for Evergreen, the owners say their establishments will become a destination for craft-beer aficionados who might not drive here for one brewpub, but will for four.

They hope to do some joint advertising in Denver to tell people about their offerings.

Mountains Taxi has resumed service and once again began taking reservations on Dec. 17, with drivers hitting the streets on Friday.

The interruption in service came after the company was notified of an increase in the cost of its liability insurance just days before the policy was to expire, said Chris Phelps, an owner of Mountains Taxi, which suspended service Nov. 11. The company has found another insurance provider.

A plethora of new businesses opened in Evergreen in 2015, a pleasant contrast to a half-dozen years ago, when businesses were closing left and right.

From a French bakery and liquor store near El Rancho to pizza in Kittredge to several new businesses in the downtown area — and everywhere in between — the Canyon Courier takes a look back at some of the business stories found on our pages in 2015.

Lissie’s Mountain Market on Highway 73 is getting a makeover and will no longer be a convenience store.

Owner Larry Juceam is converting the store into what he calls a hodgepodge of items, including vintage toys and video games, in an effort to stay in business. Rumors that the space would offer exclusively marijuana paraphernalia are incorrect, he said.

In the wake of disasters such as flooding and wildfires, community residents have organized fund-raisers and made donations to victims, says Evergreen resident and attorney Beth Andersen.

To facilitate assistance to businesses and residents in need of help, the Evergreen Chamber Community Fund has been established. An arm of the Evergreen Area Chamber of Commerce, the fund has been organized as a separate nonprofit with 501c3 status.

The state agency that sought to have a former Conifer pastor banned from selling securities in Colorado will not refile the action in an administrative court, staff said several weeks after the original case was dismissed.

Former Journey Community Church pastor Michael Cheshire was accused of securities fraud related to a bond offering the church made in 2013; state investigators sought to have him banned from selling securities in Colorado again. The church — which no longer exists — was also named.

Card “skimmers” were found on PIN transaction devices at several Colorado Safeway stores — including in Conifer, a company spokeswoman has said.

Safeway spokeswoman Teena Massingill said the devices, which are designed to collect information from the magnetic strips on the back of credit and debit cards, were found by staff members during regular inspections in November and were quickly removed.